Of Darkness and Light
by Backseat Mistress
Summary: *Edited / Refreshed* Light was born. Then darkness was born. The two are one. Get ready for another ninja tale in the world of Naruto where not everything is what it seems and everyone has a dark past, but what defines you is how you live with it.
1. Chapter One

_**A long time ago a demon fox with nine tails existed. When those tails swung they destroyed mountains and caused tsunamis. To counter it, the people gathered ninjas. One ninja sealed the monster in a life or death battle and died. That ninja was known as the Fourth Hokage.**_

Disclaimer: _I __do not__ in any way own Naruto. This story, however, is my original idea. The characters from the Naruto series are not mine, but the original characters I created are. Thanks for not copying._

* * *

The classroom was pretty much empty when she'd arrived. There were three rows in the class room. Three rows and three desks in each row, each desk could sit three people. She was in the top right corner, against the wall, and at the moment she was content with the few others around her.

Her violet hair was long, seeing as she was never allowed to cut it, hanging much further than most people would allow their hair to grow and it was full of tangles. Her eyes were violet too. Her outfit, if she were to describe it, was merely comfortable. Her skirt was tattered and burned in some places and the knee length pants she wore under it was in not to different a shape. Her shirt was also battered with sleeves that were too long for her arms and the mesh shirt she wore under that was faded.

As people gathered into the room she placed her head on the desk before her and closed her eyes. She was exhausted and she'd wanted the quiet to continue, so she tried to block out the on coming noise. It wasn't until two particular voices entered the room that she opened her eyes again. She leaned back and looked upside down at Ino and Sakura, two of her fellow classmates. She rolled her eyes as they bickered over which of them entered the classroom first.

"Those two are even more annoying today."

Mali leaned back forward and looked at the person now sitting beside her. "At least more than they were yesterday." She smirked.

Kiba looked over at her, he cocked his head and grinned, trying to look cool. "Seems that way."

"If that's the case then I was here first."

"No I was."

"No me."

Mali and Kiba turned towards the other side of the room, where an uproar picked up. It looked like most, if not all, of the girls in the class had gathered over there fighting over a seat.

Mali shook her head. "Sometimes I think this class is full of idiots."

"Ouch."

"Please." Mali scoffed. "If that hurt your feelings you wouldn't continue to talk to me."

"True," Kiba said in a matter of fact sense, "you're the bluntest girl I know, though not the most outspoken."

"Was that a compliment or an insult?"

He laughed.

At that moment the room went awkwardly silent. Again, Kiba and Mali turned to look at the other side of the room. To shut up the gaggling group of girls something interesting obviously had to of happened, but they never expected it to be what they saw.

"Are… they…" Mali lost her words.

"I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it."

Mali had to cover her mouth, but even then she couldn't help the laughter. She felt like she was going to erupt. Never in her life had she'd seen something so funny. Either way, Kiba was a little concerned by the outburst. Mali was the type of girl who normally showed no emotional outbreaks in public. That was double true when she was in the classroom, since she refused to let teachers see her as humorous.

She finally caught herself and took a deep breath as she tried to stop.

"Feel better?"

"Much." she replied.

"Going to be a while before those two live that down."

"Honestly, with the way those two have always acted I'm surprised it took them this long to come out."

Kiba laughed, though he still didn't get it. Everyone hushed as Iruka-sensei entered the room and went to their seats. Poor Naruto, who'd kissed Sasuke, now sat bruised with swelling purple bumps from where Sasuke's deranged fans had beat him. Mali could hardly tell it was Naruto anymore.

Iruka went to the front of the class and put the clip board he was holding to his side.

"I would like to start by saying I'm very proud of all of you. Starting today you are all official ninjas, however in order to receive even the lowest rank of ninja, Genin, you must pass a mission under a Jonin teacher. It's only going to get harder from this point on, so be ready. Now, you will all be put into a group of three. Each group will be under a different Jonin who'll have their own mission you'll have to pass. We've arranged the groups so that overall abilities are equal. I will announce the teams now."

He started reading over the three man cells. Mali looked around the room as Iruka called off team one and counted the number of students in her class. There were thirty students accounted for. That meant there would be ten teams in total. She wondered what the likeliness was that she would be partnered with someone she actually knew. She considered the fact that she really only knew the names of about fourteen classmates and then she really only talked to six of them outside school. As she continued to contemplate, Iruka had gone through six of the ten teams and Mali had yet to hear her name.

"Team Seven will consist of Naruto Uzumaki..." She couldn't help but glance over at Naruto as his name was called. "Haruno Sakura..." She heard Naruto scream in joy. "And Sasuke Uchiha." It was Sakura's turn to scream in joy.

"Moving on, Team Eight will consist of Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame." She glanced over at Kiba and he only shrugged his shoulders. She sighed, maybe it was too much to hope for to be on the same team as someone she actually could talk to.

"Team Nine will consist of Mali Takasumi..." She lifted her head as her name was called. "Kimi Aquene..." She had no idea who that was. "Hisa Favonius..." But she did know who that was and it wasn't in a good way. Beside her she heard Kiba snicker. She began to chew her bottom lip while resisting the urge to kick him.

"Finally, Team Ten will consist of Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Choji Akimichi." There was a buzz as everyone let it set in with who they were now partnered with. Mali was seriously concerned, but Kiba hadn't seemed to notice yet because he went straight into whispering about what he knew of his own teammates. He was excited, but she couldn't say she shared the feeling.

She drowned out all the talking as Naruto raised his hand to ask something. Why'd she have to be teamed with these two people? She had no idea who one was, nor what their abilities were like. And Hisa, well she wasn't even about to go into that discussion.

She looked back over at team seven. Naruto had the lowest scores so it was no surprise he was teamed with Sasuke who held the highest score. She held the second. She bit her lip just thinking about that. No, she shook that thought off; there were more pressing issues now than test scores.

So, the deal with Naruto and Sasuke was understandable, but then why did they also have Sakura? She was ranked just behind Mali as far as girls went. Didn't this make team seven an incredibly ranked up team? And hers wasn't. Kenji was not going to be happy about it. She bit her lip again, this time drawing blood.

"Alright class, that's it. I'll introduce you to your new teachers in the afternoon, until then you're dismissed."

People began moving. Kiba waved a hand in front of her face. "Mali, if you're going to ignore me let me know so I can save my breath."

"Huh?"

Kiba rolled his eyes. "He dismissed us. We don't have to come back until this afternoon."

"Okay, so we're going to sit on the grass again. Might as well get Shikamaru to tag along too, huh?" She got up to follow him, but then stopped as he turned around to face her. It wasn't him stopped that made her halt, but his expression.

"I think this would be a good time to eat with our new teammates. Socialize."

"You've got to be joking." But Mali could tell he wasn't. "Fine, you can do that. I'm not interested in seeing her just yet."

"Completely understand. I'll catch ya' later." He didn't like that he was blowing her off, but he figured it was a good reason. Anyway, he could make it up to her. He didn't wait for a reply as he headed off to meet his new crew: team eight.

* * *

Mali walked outside and looked around for a quiet spot to eat. She should have expected Shikamaru to do the same thing as Kiba; would've saved her the time it took to find him. She ultimatly settled down on a high limb of a nearby tree and opened her wrapped lunch. On top of the bento box was a note from her mom. There was always one there and she'd grown to look forward to reading them, even though some of them were corny.

"Do your best." She repeated as she read. She laughed lightly, smiled and neatly tucked the note into a pocket before beginning her lunch.

She finished her lunch and jumped down from the tree. There was nothing better to do so she decided to walk around. She passed by several class mates, including Kiba and his team, as she made her way back to the school. She even noticed Sakura and… She had to do a double take. Was that Sasuke? They looked like they were about to kiss each other. She used the shade to hide her as she looked on. They leaned closer and closer. Well, she thought, maybe he wasn't gay.

"Then again."

Sasuke's face suddenly scrunched up. It looked almost as if he was sick. Then he suddenly darted off. Mali had to swallow a gulp of air to keep from laughing again. Was the idea of kissing Sakura that bad? Maybe he really was gay? She could feel herself about to release the oncoming eruption and darted off herself.

Once inside the school she planted her face into her hands and laughed. When she was done she wiped off her tears and moved down the hall. She knew her face was probably red and she needed to wash it before someone, like Kiba, saw her. Good thing she left everyone behind her, including Sasuke. If what happened earlier hadn't been funny she was sure she'd soon get that annoyed feeling she always got when she was near him.

She rounded the corner and noticed someone else coming around the corner on the other end… Sasuke. Her stomach dropped to her feet. Was he following her because she saw him earlier? No. That would be stupid. They didn't like each other and both parties agreed to ignore the other.

"Hey you, seen Naruto?"

Once he opened his mouth Mali was overcome with that familiar feeling. Her eyes narrowed and her teeth began to grind. She silently swore. Her luck was just awful today.

Sasuke got closer, realized who it was, and paused. His eyes narrowed.

They stared at each other for a moment before both continued walking forward. They continued on, passing each other without so much as another word. Mali took a few more steps before turning around, but when she did Sasuke was no longer in sight.

"One day." She muttered before moving on to the bathroom.

She splashed some cold water on her face and let it fall. Her face was still tinted red, but now she didn't know if it was because of her earlier laughter or her fuming anger.

Mali had always wanted the title of number one shinobi of her class, but Sasuke continued to get in her way. No matter what she did Sasuke always seemed to do it better. It really pissed her off. She'd even confronted him once, but again he beat her. That stung enough, but then he had to muddy her wound too.

_"Girls really are the weaker sex."_

"Just wait. I'll show you who the weaker sex is."

* * *

Alright. Some closing words then.

First off, thank you so very much for reading this. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. This is only the beginning of the story though, there is a lot more to come. I plan on making this last for the whole first season at least. I would like to quickly say that I know it's kind of tacky to put in the diclaimer "do not steal my OC's", but as a writer I'm very protective of my babies. My characters, even these silly fanfic ones, are very important to me. Don't think I'm haughty or anything. I just really care about them and it would hurt me if someone took them without asking.

Second, if you didn't like something then please let me know how I could make it better. I'm not perfect and I'm sure there are things I can improve on. Yes even after writing for as long as I have I'll admit that even someone with as much experience as I needs help. There isn't a professional writer out there that will tell someone they're perfect, and if they do they're lying. Even published writers need help. [Yes, I've published poetry (in three anthologies) and short fiction (in local newspapers). No larger fiction yet, but I'm working on it.]

Thirdly, just to let everyone know. I am a college student, so I'm taking classes full time. I also work. I have to live somehow. I don't have a lot of free time and so I can't tell you I will be updating every day or even every week. I can promise though that I will update. I never give up on anything I start.

Fourthly, I am also a professional writer, which is one reason I care so much about my writing, which means most of my free time is going towards my own works. It doesn't take _as much_ effort, but it still takes a lot, for me to work on a fanfic because the story has already been told once, but writing one of my own takes a lot of time with working through kinks. I have several that are started and when they're down I'll be sending them off to be published. Wish me luck with that.

Finally, I hope you all enjoy the story. It's going to progress as if she really exsisted in Naruto's world. No sudden love, but there will be romance later. There is a well-developed story behind her character as well as her future. So I really hope everyone enjoys the foreshadowing I'll be including in some chapters.

If you have any suggestions please inform me. I love hearing for my readers.


	2. Chapter Two

_**A long time ago a demon fox with nine tails existed. When those tails swung they destroyed mountains and caused tsunamis. To counter it, the people gathered ninjas. One ninja sealed the monster in a life or death battle and died. That ninja was known as the Fourth Hokage.**_

Disclaimer: _I __do not__ in any way own Naruto. This story, however, is my original idea. The characters from the Naruto series are not mine, but the original characters I created are. Thanks for not copying._

* * *

The break time was supposed to be used as time to meet your new team members and get to know them a little. The two called Hisa and Kimi, however hard they looked, could not seem to find their third party.

Kiba nudged Mali in the side after he'd set down in his seat. Mali opened her eyes and turned her head to look at him.

"What?" The sour look she gave him would've said enough.

"What happened to you?"

Mali didn't answer; she was too drained for the moment, instead she rolled her head back so that she was looking at the top of the desk. Kiba sighed, being used to her attitude, and then turned back to look at the front of the class.

Everyone was back now and Iruka was already beginning to open the door for people as they came to get the cells they would be testing. It wasn't long before most of the people were gone. Kiba had left too by the time Mali decided to lift her head from the desk. There were only a handful of cells left waiting with her. It was then that someone came into the room. The lady that stood now looked a lot like someone Mali had already seen come through and gather team eight. Her eyes were red and her hair was a light black with a silver tint. She was nicely dressed too.

"Team Nine." She spoke with a dull tone and looked around with a frightening expression. A girl with long light blue hair jumped up and walked toward the woman standing at the door. She smiled shyly at her when she'd got there, but the woman hardly blinked back. Again another girl rose to her feet, tripping over her chair as she tried to go. What was left of the classroom burst into laughter and the girl held her head down as she continued towards the door.

"So those are my teammates" she whispered. Mali picked herself up and walked towards her new team, looking them over as she approached.

"Did someone hit you?" The jonin suddenly spoke. Her eyes weren't even looking at Mali, but were staring at her forehead. Mali sighed when she realized that she probably had a very big, very bright red mark across her forehead.

"No."

The jonin seemed uninterested in any further inquiry and proceeded to walk out the door.

As they entered the halls Mali regained her composure and her thoughts went back on track. She took a good look at the team she was placed in and pondered over why all the other cells had been devised so that there was at least one member of the opposite sex, but this cell consisted of all females. There were only a handful of intelligent girls in her class while most of the others had bottom marks. Mali never really paid attention to anyone else's scores, so she didn't know where these two fell. Though she figured Hisa's score was along the same lines as Naruto. Which she guessed was probably true since she was grouped with her. But, all females? She couldn't understand it. Could this really have been the best way to divide power among the teams?

_"Girls really are the weaker sex."_

She growled as Sasuke's words rang through her head. She hated to admit it, but men were often more physically stronger than females. So it would be wise to have a least one male. Even if the genin were to remain all female the jonin leader could be male. That would balance it out. Was there another reason to this strange arrangement? Mali glanced up at her sensei as she contemplated this and wondered if her new sensei was really a kunoichi specialist. It was the best guess for the situation. She'd wanted to think it over a little more, but a very annoying voice interrupted her train of thoughts.

"So we're teammates." Hisa frowned.

"Obviously." Mali snorted. "Why else would I be this close to you?"

"I'm the one who should be saying that since you're the one who often smells horribly."

Mali growled, but held herself back from retorting; though she really wanted to, but she knew Hisa would just keep pressing her buttons until she snapped and she didn't want to do that in front of the jonin present. First impressions were everything.

"No comebacks?" Hisa giggled. Happy over her victory.

"Enough..." The jonin turned around on them. She looked like she wanted to say something else, but couldn't or wouldn't. Then… "Which one are you again?" She stated bluntly as she pointed toward Hisa.

"Uh…" Whether it was because Hisa was embarrassed about being so easily forgotten or because she was upset, Mali just couldn't figure out. Either way Mali's day just got a whole lot better.

"Have you really forgotten her name already?" Mali asked.

"Everyone has a weakness." The jonin replied, flatly. "Mine is names." The faces of her students were mixed, but she grasped that they were all either confused or concerned. "You girls need to lighten up."

"Lighten up? You've embarrassed us." Hisa responded.

"She only embarrassed you." Mali corrected.

"You're so cocky," Hisa snarled, "she probably doesn't remember your name either."

"Enough you two." The jonin ran her hand down her face. "I'm going to have my hands full." She sighed. "I can't handle bickering, so spare me. You're a team now and teams have to work as a unit"—she cast strong stares towards Mali then Hisa—"Like it or not."

"Um…"

The three looked towards the last member of team nine. She'd been so quiet the whole time Mali had almost forgotten she was standing right next to her. The sudden realization of her presence startled her.

"My name… my name, is Kimi." She wheezed out.

"Okay." Hisa's eyebrows cocked. What was wrong with this one, she pondered.

"Nice to meet you Kimi." The jonin reached out her hand for Kimi and they shook hands while smiling at each other.

"Creepy." Mali gagged. All her earlier wonderings were far behind her. Now the only thing she was concerned about was whether or not this group consisted of sane individuals. Who cares if they're all girls? Who cares if their levels are fluctuated? Are they right in the head is what's important.

"Bet she forgets your name in a few minutes." Hisa'd probably meant to whisper, but the halls made great acoustics. Everyone looked at her.

Yep, Mali thought, they probably weren't sane, but they're what she had to work with.

* * *

Closing words.

I forgot to mention this in the first part, but this story has undergone a revamp. After a long while I looked back on it and just hated it. I'm a perfectionist so I end up doing that a lot... So I decided to redo this story. On top of that I've gotten back into updating my website which hosts cool stuff for my fanfictions. It's down for construction right now, but I'll let you all know when it's back. It really does have neat extras plus animations, trailers, and other stuff like that. So if you're interesting then click the link on my front page here. I'll post a link in a chapter too, once I finish updating it.

Second, I know this one is a shorter chapter, but it's leading up to much longer ones. If you remember how my story was before then you'll remember that this was actually the third chapter before. I've decided to mush some of the other chapters into long chapter pieces. I'm doing this because I've wrote much further ahead than I've posted on here. (The longer version is on my website) And I want to get this place caught up as well as get closer to the Shippuden section of this fanfiction. You guys were so far behind and I apologize. I'll get you caught up soon. I've got loads more editing to do and mushing of chapters, but it'll all be worth it in the end.

Again, if you didn't like something then please let me know how I could make it better. I'm not perfect and I'm sure there are things I can improve on.

If you have any suggestions please inform me. I love hearing for my readers.


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